Still trying to get an education

I have yet to get help finding education funding. I received a letter from the GN minister of education last year stating I do not qualify for funding under the Education Act.

Because I have been out of Nunavut for more than a year, I would have to return home for more than three months to qualify for funding.

When I get correspondence from people supporting my situation, they stress that education is a must for our people to administer ourselves. This is encouraging and it allows me to keep trying. But there is another side to this situation. A relative said to me, “There are some that consider you no longer a northerner.”

I thought about this over and over again. The GN, department of education, ministers, MLAs and our people talk about getting Inuit in the workforce to manage Nunavut. Yet there is so much following of policies to the T that they are overlooking the very foundation of our beginnings as a territory. Our goals are no longer realistic.

It may be a cynical view, but it is the truth for me. Why are people afraid to step up to address the need for educated Inuit? Why has not one politician even advocated to our government to help Inuit that are keen on getting educated? They sure can talk about moving ahead and the urgency of getting Inuit in the workforce with training and education. Yet there is no true spokesperson to address the core issues of the changes that must be made quickly to ensure Inuit get the best opportunity.

I challenge one leader, any leader to make a statement that Nunavut beneficiaries are entitled to an education, freedom of expression, to provide the best needs for our families by any means possible and to advocate for all Inuit.

Also, I wanted to congratulate Commissioner Peter Irniq and his wife on their grandchild and to thank him for sharing the process of names.

I wanted to share my daughter’s name. My daughter did not have a name right away as we waited for an elder to confirm her name as customarily done.

It was an unusually mild winter in southwestern Ontario when she was born. There was hardly any snow at all through Christmas. But the moment she was born it snowed such thick and fluffy snowflakes it amazed everyone in the hospital.

My emotions were high from being through the whole process of the birth of my first-born. I knew it may be a day or two before she got her Inuk name from our elder. Being a proud new father I reflected on my life and was thankful and proud to be Inuk.

We were not going to give her any English names as we wanted traditional names. But I had the strong need to call her something, so I gave her a nickname that is reflective of my people.

I nicknamed her Aputi to honour the uniqueness of our people. It’s helped us with travel, shelter and access to our animals. There are many more ties to snow than we can ever explain. I nicknamed her that out of respect for my mother, father and grandparents.

Her Inuk name is Qakugialluk, on my mother’s side, an aunt that was adopted as an infant that passed away. She was my mother’s youngest sister in the Jessie Oonark family of Back River/Chantry Inlet.

On behalf of my daughter Aputi, and from an Inuk still wanting an education, good fishing and enjoy your tea this spring.

Moses Aupaluktuq
Ottawa